Thursday, December 20, 2012

Ho Ho Humbug

I used to love Christmas. I'd go to the Christmas shop that was only open from October-December and delight in the fairy wonderland of lights, earthy colours, beautiful decorations and model trains. A Classy Christmas, if you will.

The first year I started to Humbug was the last Christmas my Dad was alive. He'd just had lymphatic surgery and was being spoiled by my family from the comfort of his bed. I wasn't there. I was here in Hobart having a Very Smythy Christmas. But we thought Dad was ok.

The next Christmas Dad wasn't alive. I think we spent it without our families at our new house in Hobart. A quiet affair, punctuated with Mr S and I playing epic marathon games of Worms on our games PC.

Then we moved to our Huon Valley abode and we couldn't afford to go anywhere for Christmas for a few years, and truthfully, I was glad. There was a giant Peach-Pie sized hole in my Christmas heart and I was happy to spend Christmas with my main Mr S, and a giant Christmas ham. I refused to put decorations up, but my friend rocked up and got it all out and insisted. Then I was pregnant with Millie, and too big fat and tired to do it, but Mr S insisted, and the house looked lovely. Last year, Millie was 7 months old and waking up every 40 minutes overnight and got her two front teeth on Christmas day and my mother's raging flu the next, so it's safe to say that we got through Christmas. Enjoyed? Well... Got through? Yes.

This year is a bit different. Lady Pippa is tiny, but Millie is SUPER excited about the Christmas Tree and is trying to open all the presents already. Her daycarer has a tree and decorations and lights and I think they talk about Christmas a fair bit, so she's picked up a fair bit of Christmas Spirit there.

I'm still Bah Humbug'ing a little bit. I like putting the decos up. I LOATHE taking them down, but I do organise my decorations in zip lock bags so they're easy to find next year. And the lights are wound carefully or put into bunches of ten with twist ties for easy unravelling.

Buuut, I've dragged my Christmas heels long enough. We've been listening to Christmas radio, Mr S has procured a live tree and last night I declared It Was Time to Decorate.

Pip was screaming, Millie was LOUD, I had a raging headache (now known as the Beginning of a ManCold), but I put the Christmas radio on and declared that WE WOULD HAVE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT GODDAMNIT through gritted teeth.

The tree is decorated (and looks like I just let Millie go to town, but the reality is I'm very crap at decorating trees) and there's some more lights up. We're getting there. I've been doing some Christmas Crappy Craft with Millie too, so there's some handmade decorations to put up this week.

I present you with a picture that sums up our Christmas Mood last night...

Have you got your Handmade Christmas Pinterest Glory on, or are you just like me?

other places I live

Who?

Mrs Smyth gets a what what?

This blog was born from my old Tumblog, where I collected stories and pictures. But the content...

In short, after my beautiful baby was born I found that I really needed something productive to do in my down time. I made a list in my notebook called 'Mrs Smyth Gets a Life' with some simple projects that could help me find something to do for me.

Here's where the ideas come together and I document my projects as I get to tick them off my list. Fun huh?